Skating Skates - 2020 Part 9
The next installment for THIS FIC - it won’t make any sense unless you’re read the first 9k PLUS Part 8 which I posted on Tumblr here. I’ll update AO3 when this chapter is properly finished (i.e. Part 8, 9 and 10 and 11 together because I can’t be succinct. My bad...)
CHAPTER SEVEN (B) – 2020 Part 9
It’s probably only been twenty minutes, but it feels like hours. It’s a limited number of press present, all asking him questions about his sexuality and they have been relentless, and he’s tired of saying the same things slightly differently each time. No one has asked anything that wasn’t already stated plainly in black and white so no matter what he says they will still write whatever the hell they want anyway.
“So Jack, are you seeing someone?”
“Again, I have no comment. I’ve never answered questions about a significant other before and I’m not about to start, sorry.”
He winces, wishing he hadn’t tacked on the apology at the end, because he’s not sorry for trying to keep a part of his life private and protect whoever he’s with. Which okay, is hopefully going to be Eric Bittle, but he can maybe keep that quiet for at least a couple of months. Weeks? Hopefully. He’s so grateful that George calls the presser to a close, saying that any further questions can be directed to the PR team and Jack knows some of them will be pissed. There was no big scoop, he’s too well practiced now dealing with them. Except… starting to date the same week he came out, when he knows they’re going to be giving him additional scrutiny. He doesn’t regret doing it, but he also has to think that maybe in hindsight it wasn’t the smartest idea when he registers at least two cars follow him. Ugh.
Glad that his building has the highest possible security it can without having someone physically standing at the door he enters the pin to park his car in the underground garage. He takes the stairs to his floor and steps out only to halt immediately at the body lying near his front door, except… it’s not just anyone, it’s Eric. Lying on the floor, legs up resting on the wall and occasionally bringing one leg back to almost touch the wall opposite, or the floor and Jack tries not imagine the other possibilities that that position and flexibility might be useful.
“Eric… what are you…doing?” He mainly means what he is doing on the floor outside his apartment, because he can tell that Eric is stretching. Just not why it’s on the floor outside his door.
“Waiting for you,” Eric says, and then with a twist of his body he’s standing in one smooth motion and Jack just blinks, because he’s pretty sure bodies aren’t meant to move that way.
“Uh.”
“Jack? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Fine. Just… sorry. Eh. Distracted.”
“Okay… So, I know you’ve just made a grand gesture but I was thinking maybe we could stay in?”
It’s not even midday and he knows it was dinner they had talked about.
“Tonight you mean?”
“Yeah, and maybe for the first few weeks? I mean, I don’t mind not going out, and I like cooking, and we’ve already watched a movie and had dinner and I just thought that maybe… it could just be us?”
“That sounds… perfect, to be honest.”
A weight he hadn’t even realized had been present feels lifted and he wonders how Eric just seems to know what to say to make his anxiety lessen enough to make him relax.
“I’ve got training, but I’ll see you later… I just didn’t want you to worry about it all afternoon.”
“Eric…” Jack starts, his throat working because it’s a little overwhelming to have someone think about what he might need like that. “…thank you.”
“Oh sugar, I have a feeling that it’ll be more than worth my while…”
Then he’s being kissed, so gently and softly that he doesn’t even have time to respond, to kiss back. He just blinks as Eric pulls away, bottom lip caught between his teeth, lips curved into a smile and Jack can’t take his eyes off them.
“You are good for my ego Jack Zimmermann. I’ll see you later okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Of course later can’t come soon enough. He arranges to do a workout with Tater after lunch and tries not to think about his upcoming date. Although Eric had been right, they have already had something like a date already. Three somethings already, except his kid sister had been there for the first two and then his best friend at dinner last night so this is… them alone. No interruptions.
Huh.
He checks his bedside drawers, he hasn’t needed condoms in a long time, but he should probably check the expiration dates. Fuck. That’s something he definitely can’t do right now. Going out to the store and buying condoms just a few hours after a presser stating that he’s not got any comment about his personal life and he knows there are people watching his apartment building.
He knows who can help him though, not that they’ll get here by tonight but that’s not a bad thing. He sends a quick message to Shitty and of course he agrees to do it, chirps him for being unable to wait until the weekend when he visits and
shit
. He’d forgotten about that. Shitty, Lardo, Ransom and Holster have all arrange to come and stay for a week; they had originally planned it so he’d have a quiet week between Annelise’s stay and them arriving, except… there’s Eric now. He can’t put off seeing them, it’s been months, Annelise’s 5
th
birthday in fact, and he wants to see them… But introducing a potential guy he wants to date to his friends after only a week seems pretty high risk. Except Eric lives with Tater, and has already shown that hockey guys don’t scare him in the slightest… He resolves to at least ask.
